Spicy Tofu Cubes with Broccoli
Sriracha does the heat. Coconut milk does the calm. Together they simmer for eight minutes with a sautéed onion while the rest of the meal catches up around them — rice on one burner, broccoli boiling on another, tofu cubes browning in a frying pan.
760 kcal across the plate. 25g of protein from the tofu and brown rice together, 80g of carbs anchored in the rice, and 38g of fat between the olive oil and coconut milk. 11g of fiber rounds out a fifteen-minute plant-based dinner.
Sriracha does the heat. Coconut milk does the calm. Together they simmer for eight minutes with a sautéed onion while the rest of the meal catches up around them — rice on one burner, broccoli boiling on another, tofu cubes browning in a frying pan.
760 kcal across the plate. 25g of protein from the tofu and brown rice together, 80g of carbs anchored in the rice, and 38g of fat between the olive oil and coconut milk. 11g of fiber rounds out a fifteen-minute plant-based dinner.
Ingredients
- brown rice 3 ounces
- tofu 3 ounces
- onion 0.5
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- Sriracha sauce 1 teaspoon
- coconut milk 1.5 fluid ounce
- broccoli florets (frozen) 8 ounces
Method
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Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.
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Cut the tofu into cubes and pat them dry. Finely chop the onion.
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Heat half of the oil in a saucepan over low heat and sauté the onion for 1 minute. Then add the Sriracha and coconut milk and let the sauce simmer gently for 8 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed. Season with pepper and salt.
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Cook the broccoli florets in salted water for 4 minutes until tender.
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Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan and fry the tofu cubes on all sides until golden brown. Add the coconut sauce and stir well.
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Serve the rice with the tofu cubes in coconut sauce and the broccoli.
Keep the coconut milk sauce on low heat for the full eight minutes. Coconut milk is a fat-water emulsion — high heat breaks it apart, and the fat separates into oily puddles instead of staying in the sauce. If the pan gets too hot, a splash of water and a quick stir bring it back.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Is 25g of protein enough for a dinner?
It depends on your total daily intake and what surrounds it. 25g from a single meal sits comfortably inside what recent evidence shows your body puts to work. The old 20-30g ceiling that gym culture repeated for years has taken hits from newer research — the body handles a wider range than that number suggests. To push the protein higher on this plate, double the tofu to 6 ounces for roughly another 10g without touching the sauce or the clock.
Read the full evidence reviewDoes boiling broccoli lose nutrients?
Some. Water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C leach into the cooking water during boiling. A four-minute boil keeps the loss moderate. The fat-soluble nutrients in broccoli — vitamin K and beta-carotene — stay locked in the florets regardless of how you cook them. And the coconut milk fat in the sauce helps your body absorb those fat-soluble nutrients when you eat them eaten alongside them.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Yes. Add one to two minutes to the boiling time since frozen florets are already partially blanched at the factory. Fresh broccoli cut into similar-sized florets will need five to six minutes in salted boiling water to reach the same tenderness.
